ROMAN ART AND

ARCHITECTURE

Joanna Agustin
Daniel Patrick Tan
 HISTO
RY
Rome although found in 750 BC, it still wasnt a secured nation due that it is
ruled by Etruscan kings who commissioned a variety of Etruscan art (murals,
paintings, metalwork) for their places and to celebrate war victories.

Roman Republic at 500 BC, Etruscans waded and Rome was influenced by the
flourishing cities of Greek of southern Italy and the eastern
Mediterranean...which made Rome fell under the influence of Greek Art=
Hellenization

However, the arts were still not a priority for Roman leaders who were more
concerned about survival and military affairs. It wasn't until about 200 BCE
after it won the first Punic War against Hannibal and the Carthaginians, that
Rome felt secure enough to develop its culture. Even then, the absence of an
independent cultural tradition of its own meant that mostancient artof Rome
imitated Greek works. Rome was unique among the powers of the ancient world
in developing only a limited artistic language of its own. (

FOR SHORT: WALA SILANG ORIGINALITY! JOKE!

ARCHITECTUR
E
*Romes greatest contribution is their architectural designs which
are the ARCH, the VAULT and the DOME.

*Roman bridgeswere among the first large and lasting bridges,

built from stone with the arch as the basic structure. Most utilized
concrete as well. The largest Roman bridge wasTrajan's bridge
over the lower Danube, constructed by Apollodorus of Damascus,
which remained for over a millennium the longest bridge to have
been built both in terms of overall span and length.
ARCHITECTUR
E
*It was during the age of Emperor Trajan (98-117 CE) and Emperor Hadrian
(117-138 CE) that Rome reached the zenith of its architectural glory,
attained through numerous building programs of monuments, baths,
aqueducts, palaces, temples and mausoleums. Many of the buildings from
this era and later, served as models for architects of theItalian Renaissance,
such as Filippo Brunelleschi(1377-1446) designer of the iconic dome of the
cathedral in Florence, and bothDonato Bramante(1444-1514) and
Michelangelo(1475-1564), designers of St Peter's Basilica. The time of
Constantine (306-337 CE) witnessed the last great building programs in the
city of Rome, including the completion of theBaths of Diocletianand the
erection of theBasilica of Maxentiusand theArch of Constantine.
 The oldest surviving Roman triumphal arch, it was built after the young Emperor's
death to celebrate his suppression of the Jewish uprising in Judea, in 70 CE. Standing on
the Via Sacra, south-east of the Roman Forum, the Arch of Titus was the model for
Napoleon'sArc de Triomphein Paris (1806-36). The archis also a political and
religious statement expressing the divinity of the late emperor Titus

ARCH OF TITUS .81 CE

Colosseum(72-80 CE)
Built in the centre of Rome by Vespasian to appease the masses, this elliptical amphitheatre was named after a
colossal statue of Nero that stood nearby. Built to seat some 50,000 spectators, its intricate design, along with
its model system of tiered seating and spacious passageways, makes it one of the greatest works of Roman
architecture. The Colosseum was one of the key sights on theGrand Tourof the 18th century.

THE
COLOSSEU
M
72-80 CE
 Water Battles at the
Colosseum
The building of the Roman
Colosseum was commissioned
by the Emperor Vespasian of
the Flavian family who died
before it was completed. His
oldest son, the Emperor Titus
oversaw the completion and
the inauguration of the
amphitheatre in 80AD. During
the reign of Titus there were
water battles at the Roman
Colosseum.
 Colosseums Retractable Roof

The Roman
Colosseum used to
have a retractable
roof. The velarium
was a sloped canvas
awning that covered
2/3 of the arena and
acted as a ventilation
system to catch the
wind and create a
breeze for the
spectators.
Built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple dedicated to the seven gods of Ancient Rome, and
rebuilt by Hadrian in 126 CE, the Pantheon is a daring early instance of concrete
construction. The interior space is based on a perfect sphere, and its coffered ceiling
remains the largest non-reinforced concrete dome in the world. In the middle of its
dome an oculus lets in a beam of light.

THE PANTHEON
126 CE, Rome,
Italy
The first Roman aqueduct was built
for the city of Roma by censor Appia
Claudius Caecus, hence called Aqua
Appia, and operational in 312 bc.
Over 1000 Roman aqueducts are
known today, built between 312 bc
and the end of the Roman Empire
(about 500 ad) and beyond.
ANCIENTAQUEDUCT
How does the aqueduct
SWERE
E SS E N T I A L LY M A N -
work?
MADE STREAMS
C O N D U C T I N G WAT E R
DOWNHILL FROM
THE NATURAL
SOURCES TO THE
D E S T I N AT I O N. T O
TA P WAT E R F R O M A
RIVER, OFTEN A
DAM AND
RESERVOIR WERE
CONSTRUCTED TO
C R E AT E A N I N TA K E
FOR
THEAQUEDUCTTHA
T WOULD NOT RUN
DRY DURING
PERIODS OF LOW
WAT E R .
S C U L P T U R E : T Y P E S A N D C H A RAC T E R I S T I C S

Roman sculpturemay be divided into four main categories:

historical reliefs; portrait busts and statues, including
equestrian statues; funerary reliefs, sarcophagi or tomb
sculpture; and copies of ancient Greek works. Like architecture, a
good deal of Roman sculpture was created to serve a purpose:
namely, A. to impress the public - be they Roman citizens or
'barbarians' - and B. communicate the power and majesty of Rome.
 T RA J A N ' S C O LU M N ( 1 0 6 - 1 1 3 C E )
The greatest relief sculpture of Ancient Rome,
Trajan's Column is a 125-foot Doric-style
monument, designed by the architect
Apollodorus of Damascus. It has a spiral frieze
that winds 23 times around its shaft,
commemorating the Dacian triumphs of
Emperor Trajan (98-117 CE). Victoria and
Albert Museum, London, and the National
History Museum of Romania, Bucharest
 M A RC U S A U R E L I U S '
C O LU M N ( C . 1 8 0 - 1 9 3 C E )
Second only to Trajan's monument, this 100-foot
Doric column in the Piazza Colonna also features a
winding ribbon ofmarble sculpturecarved in low
relief, which illustrates the story of the Emperor's
Danubian or Marcomannic wars, waged by him
during the period 166-180 CE. It includes the
controversial "rain miracle", in which a colossal
thunderstorm saves the Roman army from death at
the hands of the barbarian Quadi tribes.
 A RC H I T E C T U R A L R E L I E F S C U L P T U R E
O N T H E A RC H O F C O N S TA N T I N E
(312-15 CE).
The Arch of Constantine is a
triumphal arch in Rome,
situated between the
Colosseum and the Palatine
Hill. It was erected to
commemorate Constantine I's
victory over Maxentius at the
Battle of Milvian Bridge on
October 28, 312.
Famous busts and statues of Roman leaders include:

S TAT U E OF AU G U S T U S ( RU LE D
27-14 CE) (LIVIA'S VILLA, PRIMA
P ORTA)
Statue of Tiberius in Old
Age (14-37) (Capitoline
Museum
 Statue of Claudius
BUST OF CALIGULA as the God Jupiter Head of Nero (54-68)
(37-41) (LOUVRE)
(41-54) (Vatican (British Museum)
Museum
- S TAT U E O F T I T U S
( 7 9 - 8 1 ) ( VAT I C A N
MUSEUM)
Bust of Trajan (98- Bronze Equestrian
117) (British Statue of Marcus
Museum) Aurelius (180) (Piazza
del Campidoglio)
C OLOSS AL H E AD OF
C O N S TA N T I N E
(307-337) (BASILICA
N O VA )
 PAINTING

Roman painting survives mainly in the form ofmuralsandpanel

portraits, executed in a realistic style. This style descends
fromClassical/HellenisticGreek painting, which was absorbed by
the Roman state as it expanded across the Mediterranean Basin.
Building on Greek techniques, the Romans brought realistic
painting to itshighest developmentin the pre-modern world.
Romanmuralsare the main subject of this article. They can be
divided into two types:pagan(which have been discovered mainly
at Pompeii) andEarly Christian(which survive primarily in the
networks of catacombs beneath Rome).
 W I T H PA I N T E D
S T AT U E A N D F R A M E D
PA I N T I N G P O M P E I I
(79 AD)
The Mummy-portrait is wax-
tempera-made on wood. A young
man in roman clothing. Hair and
beard are made in the modern way
this time. He belongs to the greco-
roman upper-class. Early 3d Century,
37,5 cm high, Inv.-Nr. 15013.
 FA Y U M M U M M Y P O R T R A I T
F R O M R O M A N E G Y P T, C . 1 2 0 - 1 3 0 Roman Illumination
AD. (illustrated edition of the
Iliad) (5 century)
( I L LU S T R AT E D E D I T I O N O F V E R G I L )
(400 C)

Illustration to Vergil's
Aeneid. 33.2cm wide. In
the collection of the
Biblioteca apostolica
Vaticana. MS lat. 3225.
fol. 33 v
 MURALS
Roman murals - executed either "al fresco" with paint being applied
to wet plaster, or "al secco" using paint on dry walls - are usually
classified into four periods, as set out by the German archaeologist
August Mau following his excavations at Pompeii.
 T H E F I R S T S T Y L E ( C. 2 0 0 - 8 0
BCE)
I N C R U S TAT I O N
("Incrustation") originated in the
early 2d century BC. It is an imitation
of marble veneering, in which the
painted decoration resembles slabs of
colored marble. This style represents
the cultural aspirations of an upwardly
mobile middle class, and was inspired
by the real marble decoration of
Hellenistic Greek palace interior walls.
 C A L AT A Y U D M U S E U M - R O M A N
C U B I C U LU M 5 0 B . C. - F R O M B I L B I L I S,
INSULA I, DOMUS 2
 T H E S E C O N D S T Y L E ( C. 8 0 B C E
- 100 CE)
It began in the early 1st century BC. This style opened up the wall by
providing an illusion of windows andporticoswhich looked outward onto
imaginary scenes, usually framed by painted columns andarchitraves.
Painted architecture in this style tended towards the heavy and
substantial, with multi-point perspective sometimes giving an Escher-like
effect.

Villa of Publius
Fannius Synistor at
Boscoreale (4030
B.C)
T H E T H I R D S T Y L E ( C. 1 0 0 - 2 0 0 )
( " O R N A M E N TA L " )
The Third Style(c.100-200) ("ornamental") dates from the Augustan
period at the end of the first century BC. Abandoning Style II realistic
architecture and open vistas, Style III closed up the walls to create a
"picture gallery" effect. Typically a large central picture would be
flanked by a smaller picture on each side. Architecture becomes
attenuated, insubstantial, and fragmentary; elongated candelabrae
often replace the earlier painted columns
Fresco, Villa Boscotrecas
(1st century)
T H E F O U R T H S T Y L E ( C. 2 0 0 - 4 0 0 )
This was a mixture of the previous two styles. Depth returned to the
mural but it was executed more decoratively, with greater use of
ornamentation. For example, the artist might paint several windows
which, instead of looking out onto a landscape or cityscape, showed
scenes from Greek myths or other fantasy scenes, including still lifes.
Haus des Lucretius
Fronto, Pompeji (1st
century AD)
ART STYLES FROM THE ROMAN
EMPIRE
The Roman Empire incorporated a host of different nationalities, religious groups
and associated styles of art. Chief among them, in addition to earlier Etruscan art of
the Italian mainland, were forms ofCeltic culture- namely the Iron AgeLa Tene style
(c.450-50 BCE) - which was accomodated within the Empire in an idiom known as
Roman-Celtic art, and the hieratic style of Egyptian art, which was absorbed into the
Hellenistic-Roman idiom.
(The Celtic Hero from Bohemia) (cc.
450-50 B.C.)
Meck ehrovice Head Stone
from Meck ehrovice, Czech
Republic, wearing a torc, late La
Tne culture
L AT E R O M A N A R T ( C. 3 5 0 - 5 0 0 )
During the Christian epoch, the division of the Roman Empire into a weak Western Roman
Empire (based in Ravenna and Rome) and a strong Eastern Roman Empire (based in
Constantinople), led to changes inLate Roman art . While wall painting,mosaic art , and funerary
sculpture thrived, life-size statues and panel painting dwindled. In Constantinople, Roman art
absorbed Eastern influences to produce theByzantine art of the late empire, and well before
Rome was overrun by Visigoths under Alaric (410) and sacked by Vandals under Gaiseric,
Roman artists, master-craftsmen and artisans moved to the Eastern capital to continue their
trade. The Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, for instance, one of the most famous
examples of Roman dome architecture, provided employment for some 10,000 of these
specialists and other workmen. Commissioned by Emperor Justinian (527-565), the Hagia
Sophia, together with the shimmering mosaics of Ravenna , represented the final gasp of Roman
art.
R AV E N N A M O S A I C S Christian Mural - Catacomb of
( C. 40 0- 600) Priscilla, Italy, Rome (Second half of
the 3rd century)
 REFERENCES
www.visual-arts-cork.com/roman-art.htm

www.crystalinks.com/romeart.html

http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/roman/paintin
g.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cubi/hd_cubi.h
tm
http://www.essential-humanities.net/western-art/pa
inting/roman/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_art